Voice of Minnie Mouse, actress Russi Taylor, dies at 75
The voice actress had been the official voice of the iconic Disney character for more than 30 years.
Russi Taylor was the official voice of Minnie Mouse for over 30 years. (Photo: Disney)
Russell "Russi" Taylor, who was the voice of Minnie Mouse, died in Glendale, California on Jul 26, at the age of 75.
For the last 33 years, the actress gave a voice to the beloved Disney character, a job she landed when she beat out 200 other hopefuls at an audition in 1986.
It was on the job that she met her husband Wayne Allwine, who had been the voice of Mickey Mouse since 1977. The couple married in 1991 and were together until Allwine’s death in 2009.
Taylor was still working up until this year, voicing animated shorts.
“Minnie Mouse lost her voice with the passing of Russi Taylor. For more than 30 years, Minnie and Russi worked together to entertain millions around the world – a partnership that made Minnie a global icon and Russi a Disney Legend beloved by fans everywhere,” said Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger.Â
“We’re so grateful for Russi’s talent as well as the tremendous spirit and great joy she brought to everything she did. It was a privilege to have known her and an honor to have worked with her, and we take comfort in the knowledge that her work will continue to entertain and inspire for generations to come. Russi will be sorely missed and our hearts go out to her family and friends, along with our deepest condolences.”
Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy, called Taylor “as wonderful, funny, and sweet as Minnie Mouse, and as talented yet humble as you would expect.”
Although Taylor is best known as the voice of Minnie, the actress has an extensive body of work. She also voiced Huey, Dewey and Louie in the television series DuckTales; Strawberry Shortcake; Baby Gonzo in Muppet Babies; Pebbles Flintstone; Duchess the Cat in the movie Babe; as well as Martin Prince and the twins Sherri and Terri in The Simpsons.
